Trump Says Iran is Negotiating, Issues Stark Warning
US President Donald Trump stated on Friday that Iran is negotiating with Washington. This comes a day after he declared the US military was “cocked and loaded” to retaliate for the downing of an American drone.
Key Developments
- President Trump claims Iran is now in talks with the US.
- He issued a warning targeting 52 Iranian sites if any American assets are struck.
- Trump questioned the US role in protecting Middle East oil shipping lanes.
- The core US demand remains: no nuclear weapons and an end to terror sponsorship.
A Direct Warning to Tehran
In a series of tweets, Trump accused Iran of “boldly” talking about targeting US assets. He framed the recent US action as revenge for a terrorist leader who had killed an American.
“Iran is talking very boldly about targeting certain USA assets as revenge for our ridding the world of their terrorist leader…”
He added that Iran “has been nothing but problems for many years.”
The “52 Sites” Ultimatum
The President issued a stark warning, explicitly linking potential targets to the 52 American hostages taken in 1979.
“Let this serve as a WARNING that if Iran strikes any Americans, or American assets, we have targeted 52 Iranian sites… some at a very high level & important to Iran & the Iranian culture, and those targets, and Iran itself, WILL BE HIT VERY FAST AND VERY HARD.”
Questioning the US Role in the Gulf
In a significant shift, Trump stated the US “no longer needs to be in the Middle East.” He pointed out that China and Japan are major beneficiaries of secure oil shipping lanes through the Strait of Hormuz, while the US is now the world’s largest energy producer.
“So why are we protecting the shipping lanes for other countries (many years) for zero compensation… The U.S. request for Iran is very simple – No Nuclear Weapons and No Further Sponsoring of Terror!”
The statement signals a potential reevaluation of long-standing US military commitments in the region amid heightened tensions with Iran.
